Chapter 4 : Be my guide (2)

Episode 4. Be My Guide! (2)

Jisung rubbed his throbbing temples. What was he supposed to do? He glanced sideways, catching Hyunwoo’s intense stare, and swallowed a sigh.

‘Am I really a Guide?’

It was hard to believe. He was twenty-five. The age for ability manifestation had long passed. But Hyunwoo didn’t seem to be lying. Jisung pressed his fingers against his temples and sighed again.

“Even if, and I mean if, I’m a Guide…”

“You are a Guide!”

“Anyway, even if I am! I’m sorry, but I have no intention of being one.”

Hyunwoo’s face fell. He clenched his fists, and a pang of guilt stabbed at Jisung.

He understood how much they, how much Hyunwoo, needed him. But that didn’t mean he was willing to sacrifice his own life for them. They had only met twice. No matter how important the reason, it wasn’t enough for him to throw away his happiness.

Jisung bit his lip, and a large hand gently brushed against his mouth.

“Don’t bite your lip. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Uh… oh…”

Jisung stared at Hyunwoo’s gentle smile, momentarily mesmerized. He shook his head vigorously.

‘They say all S-Rank Espers are beautiful…’

He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. Sunwoo, who had been quietly observing him, spoke up.

“We’re not asking you to do this for nothing.”

“Then?”

“There are many benefits to being a Guide. Especially the Guide of an S-Rank Esper. Free first-class flights, five-star hotel suites, a salary comparable to a major corporation… and with your looks, Jisung, you could even have a fan club.”

“I’m already pretty famous in the Insta world. As the handsome cafe owner.”

“…Yes, well, that’s true.”

“What’s with that expression?”

“This is my normal expression.”

“No, it was subtly different.”

Jisung hadn’t missed the way Sunwoo’s eyes had narrowed momentarily. He looked like a younger sibling downplaying his older brother’s achievements.

Under Jisung’s unwavering gaze, Sunwoo coughed and looked away.

“Ahem! There are many other benefits… although I haven’t had the time to use them myself.”

“Are those really benefits then?”

“They are, if you have the free time.”

Jisung fell silent. So, useless unless he had free time? He thought for a moment, then said,

“They’re great benefits, but I still refuse.”

“Why?”

“I want a long and peaceful life. I don’t want to go anywhere near danger.”

Movie heroes defeated terrorists and saved people. They were admired, but they were always getting hurt, losing loved ones. Jisung didn’t need to be a shining hero. He just wanted a long, happy life with the people he cared about.

“No amount of benefits is worth my life. I’d rather fly economy.”

“You have a very… simple outlook on life.”

“Well, yeah… Anyway, for that reason, I won’t be a Guide!”

Absolutely not! Never! Sunwoo nodded at Jisung’s firm declaration.

“Alright.”

“Huh?”

Jisung stared at him, surprised by the easy acceptance. Sunwoo checked his watch.

“We have to go. We were in a hurry today, and we still have another mission.”

“Oh… okay. Be careful.”

“Yes. See you.”

And just like that, they left. Jisung blinked, alone in his apartment. Had they really just… left? He cautiously opened the door and peeked outside. No one. He closed the door with a sigh of relief.

“They gave up surprisingly easily. Thank goodness…”

He had been worried they would refuse to leave. He hummed cheerfully, relieved. He opened the refrigerator to put the cake inside, then froze.

“Wait, did he say ‘today’?”

Today?

A sense of unease crept up his spine. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

“No, that can’t be right. No way…”

Unfortunately, his premonition proved to be correct. The next morning, the cheerful chime of his doorbell announced the return of Hyunwoo and his companions. Jisung stared at them, a hollow laugh escaping his lips.

“Good morning, Jisung!”

The infuriatingly cheerful greeting made Jisung’s blood boil. Sunwoo held out a bag.

“We had a mission in Daejeon today, so we bought bread from a famous bakery there. They say their white bread is delicious.”

“Oh really? My mood is pretty ‘white bread’ right now.”

He emphasized the words, but Sunwoo ignored him. Jisung rubbed his forehead, biting his lip.

“I thought you accepted my refusal yesterday.”

“We didn’t have enough time to properly persuade you yesterday because of our evening mission.”

“But I was pretty clear!”

“Don’t worry, we came prepared today.”

“I wouldn’t do it even if you brought me gold!”

But they were just as persistent. Despite his repeated refusals, they visited him every day, bringing various gifts and trying to persuade him with increasingly outlandish offers.

“I’ll make sure you’re surrounded by cats for the rest of your life.”

“I’m a dog person.”

“What?!”

Hyunwoo looked shocked. He seemed very aware of his cat-like appearance. Jisung rubbed his face, watching Hyunwoo’s pupils dilate in disbelief.

“I like cats, too, but that’s not the point!”

They showed up unannounced, morning and night, keeping Jisung on edge constantly.

Ding-dong.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

The constant doorbell ringing was driving him crazy. He tried ignoring them, but it was useless. He nearly fainted when he saw Hyunwoo floating outside his balcony window, knocking on the glass.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?!”

He yelled at them as they sprawled on his living room floor, making themselves at home.

“Not really. We’re rather busy, if anything.”

“Then why do you keep coming here? You said you were busy!”

“There’s nothing more important than having you as our Guide. We have to make time…”

“I don’t appreciate the effort!”

Jisung wanted to cry. They were like a brick wall, absolutely unyielding. His neighbors were starting to whisper about the suspicious apartment with Espers constantly coming and going.

“I can’t even show my face around here anymore because of you.”

“Hey, Jisung…”

“What?”

Yuaan, initially so shy, now spoke to him comfortably. A testament to how often they had invaded his space.

“Don’t you have Netflix?”

“…”

“I heard there’s a lot of good stuff on there these days.”

“No.”

Jisung glared at him. Yuaan looked away sheepishly. Jisung sighed.

“Jisung, why haven’t you eaten the sandwiches we brought last time? They’ll go bad.”

“…”

“Should we order chicken tonight?”

“Chicken and beer!”

They were now having a party in his apartment. Jisung grabbed his hair and tugged.

“Jisung, you’ll hurt your scalp.”

Hyunwoo grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Jisung’s shoulders trembled.

“Jisung?”

Hyunwoo’s concerned voice was the final straw.

“AAAAARGH!!!”

Jisung’s sudden outburst made them freeze. They stared at him, wide-eyed. Jisung, his hair a mess, glared at them.

“Is my apartment some kind of share house?! You eat, you play, you leave a mess when you go on missions! Why don’t you just sleep here, too?!”

“Can we?”

“…What?”

Hyunwoo beamed at him. Jisung closed his mouth. He had dug his own grave.

“Damn it…”